This invention relates to a system for storing and handling recyclable materials and more particularly to a container system designed to separate, store and transport recyclable materials. The invention allows materials to be reduced in volume, separated at their source, stored and transported in a very efficient manner.
The increase in solid waste production by individuals and industry throughout the world has created numerous problems regarding the collection, storage and disposal of these waste materials. Solid waste landfills are at or near capacity and suitable sites for new landfills are controversial and thus extremely difficult to find. Other methods of waste disposal are not economically feasible or may create other environmental concerns. Since many of the solid waste items made primarily of paper, glass, plastic and metal materials are recyclable, the demands placed upon disposal sites such as landfills can be greatly reduced if the materials are recycled. In the past, efforts have been made to separate and store, then transport these materials to collection sites for reprocessing and reuse in new products. Governmental units such as State, County and Municipal governments have the primary responsibility for solid waste disposal, and therefore they are faced with the increasing problem of how to handle these recyclable materials efficiently and economically in order to reduce the amount of waste that must be placed in disposal sites. Moreover, the costs of providing these necessary services are increasing therefore making the recycling services available to only a fraction of the population when they should be available to all. As governmental units are being forced to provide these services to all, the costs must ultimately be borne by the users.
Various systems and containers for recyclable materials are known in the art for storing the different classes of materials in separate containers. However, there is no suitable container system known in the art that provides efficient and economical volume reduction, separation, storage and transport of recyclable materials. Current systems for storing and handling recyclable materials are labor intensive, inefficient and require expensive equipment to separate, store and transport these materials. There is therefore an immediate need for improved and more efficient systems and equipment for handling, storing and transporting recyclable materials at a reasonable cost.